


Fish Hook

by amairylle



Series: Fantasy Haikyuu Week 2018 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, First Meetings, M/M, Minor Injuries, Ningyo!Suga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 13:18:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14497821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amairylle/pseuds/amairylle
Summary: Day 2 | April 23 | Eastern MythologyThe fish angles its head and sticks its mouth out of the water, and Daichi finally notices the fish hook speared through its upper lip. “Ah,” Daichi says. “I can take that out for you, but not here.” He carries the fish back up to his fishing spot and collects his things. “I mean, I can, but it’ll cause more damage to your lip. I have wire cutters at home, though, and I can take it out without hurting you further. Which would you prefer?” The fish splashes him with its tail. “Right, you can’t talk.” Daichi chuckles. “I’ll just take you home, then.”





	Fish Hook

“Should we bring it home? It looks kinda weird.”

“It’s a fish. We can just eat it.”

“No way! I don’t want to eat something with a face.”

“Dumbass, every animal has a face!”

Daichi’s eyebrow twitches. Fishing is supposed to be peaceful: the sound of the water, rustling wind, cool shade. Two boys bickering is not really supposed to part of the whole experience. He reels in his line and eases up off his log. Downstream, a tall brunette and a tiny ginger stand holding a bucket and shouting.

“This one looks like a person, and I don’t wanna eat a person! That’s cannibalism!” shouts the tiny one.

“Hinata, you dumbass, it’s a _fish!”_ The tall one shoots back.

Daichi picks up his string of trout and wades through the underbrush. “What’s the deal with the fish?” he asks. The two flinch, splashing water out of the bucket and onto each other. They glare into each other’s eyes, and the small one, Hinata, takes a deep breath, like he’s about to scream. Daichi sticks his hand between them. “Look,” he says. “This is my day off. I’m here to relax.” He holds out his entire string of trout. “I will give you my entire catch from today if you will take your argument elsewhere.”

“Uwaaah, really?” Hinata yells. “That’s so nice of you!”

“Sir, uh,” the tall one butts in, putting his hand over Hinata’s mouth. “There’s five fish there. That’s a lot.”

“Shut up and take it, Kageyama.” Hinata’s voice is muffled by Kageyama’s hand.

“There’s seven, actually,” Daichi says. “So think about how much I value my peace and quiet.”

Kageyama sets the bucket on the ground and takes the string of fish. “Thanks, uh, sir,” he says. “We’re camping nearby if you want your rope back.”

Daichi shakes his head. “Skedaddle,” he says. “Enjoy your dinner.”

Hinata jumps a good four feet straight up. “Yeah!” he screams. “Now we don’t have to rely on this moron’s fishing skills. Thanks, mister!”

“My fishing skills are fine, idiot!” Kageyama ruffles Hinata’s hair roughly. “At least I can cook them!”

Daichi clears his throat. The two freeze and look at him all over again. “Shoo,” he says, crossing his arms and glaring. They blanch, and rush out of the clearing, the younger one yelling about how short his legs are. Soon, however, there’s blessed quiet. Daichi turns to go back to his fishing, when there’s a soft bloop behind him.

In their haste, the boys left the bucket.

Daichi sighs and picks it up. The fish inside swims in frantic circles, its brilliant silver-white scales flashing in the late afternoon sunlight. What little of its face Daichi can see looks shockingly human. “Eugh,” Daichi says. “That’s not a fish for eating. I’ll just put you back in the river.”

The fish abruptly stops circling and turns its face towards Daichi. Its brown eyes and full lips are a little too far into uncanny valley for Daichi, and he gags. The fish squirts him with a mouthful of water. “Okay!” Daichi yelps. “What do you want?” The fish angles its head and sticks its mouth out of the water, and Daichi finally notices the fish hook speared through its upper lip. “Ah,” Daichi says. “I can take that out for you, but not here.” He carries the fish back up to his fishing spot and collects his things. “I mean, I can, but it’ll cause more damage to your lip. I have wire cutters at home, though, and I can take it out without hurting you further. Which would you prefer?” The fish splashes him with its tail. “Right, you can’t talk.” Daichi chuckles. “I’ll just take you home, then.” The fish glares at him over the edge of the bucket. Daichi didn’t know fish could glare. “I’ll put you back first thing tomorrow morning, don’t worry.”  He grabs his rod and tackle in one hand and the fish in the other, and heads back to town.

At home, he fills his bathtub with cold, fresh water, and tips the fish into it. “If you’re going to be here all night, this will be more comfortable than the bucket,” he says. “I’ll be right back with the wire cutters.” He turns and leaves the fish to investigate the tub.

When he comes back, there’s water all over the floor and a young, handsome man with long silver hair sitting in the tub, pulling at his bloody lip. Daichi drops his tool box. “Uh,” he says. That was a fish a minute ago. That was _definitely_ fish a minute ago. Daichi’s eyes flit from flushed cheeks to delicate collar bones to elegant fingers to—Ack! He’s naked! Daichi flushes all the way down his neck, and jerks his gaze back up, meeting his guest’s eyes because there’s nowhere else safe to look. The fish—man—fish— _whatever_ glares at Daichi and waves frantically at his mouth, letting out pained growls through pursed lips. Daichi shakes his head, shaking off his shock and embarrassment as best he can. “Right, sorry.” Daichi fumbles with the latch on his toolbox and fishes out the wire cutters and a pair of small needle nose pliers. “Can you talk now, at least?” The man splashes him and points emphatically at the fish hook, which is now speared through both lips. Daichi winces in sympathy. “Sorry.” He crouches next to the tub with the pliers and the wire cutters. “Try and hold still.”

Daichi takes the man’s chin in his hand and takes a close look at the fish hook—just the fish hook, not the man’s cheekbones or his gorgeous dark hazel eyes. Somehow, he’s gotten the fish hook caught in his lower lip as well. “Open your mouth a tiny bit?” Daichi asks. The man does, letting out a tiny whimper. Daichi clicks his tongue. “Looks like the barb is in your lower lip already. I’ll have to pull it all the way through.” He gingerly holds the hook steady with the pliers and cuts the wire loop off, causing the hook to jerk a little. The man yelps and flinches back, pulling the hook out of Daichi’s pliers. “Shit!” Daichi says. “Sorry!”

The man shakes his head. He brings his hand to his lip a few times, each time pulling back from the sharp metal sticking out of his lower lip. His eyes are watering, and he keeps making small, strained noises.

“It’s almost over,” Daichi says. “Then I’ll disinfect it and we can be done.” He holds out his hand. “I can do this next part one-handed, so if you want to squeeze my hand when it hurts, you can.” The man scoots close again, and rests his head on one hand on the edge of the tub. With his other, he grabs Daichi’s hand, already squeezing tight. Daichi squeezes back, once. “Can you put one finger on each side of the hook? To keep your lip steady?” The man complies, still wincing. “Okay,” Daichi says. “I’m going to grab the sharp end of the hook now, and pull it the rest of the way through your lip. It’ll hurt for a few seconds, and then it’ll be over.” He takes the point of the hook with the pliers. “Take a deep breath,” he says, and the man sucks on in through his nose, bracing himself. Daichi gently slides the hook out while the man whines. It’s agonizingly slow; any faster and Daichi would do more harm than good. The man’s grip on his hand is almost bone-breaking. Daichi eases the last of the hook out of the man’s lip. “And we’re done!”

The man drops Daichi’s hand and slaps both hands to his mouth. “Yeeowwch,”” he groans. “That hurt so much.”

Daichi stands up and drops the bloody hook by the sink. “So you can talk?” he says.

“Yes,” the man spits, glaring at Daichi. “I’d like to see you speak with a fish hook pinning your lips together.”

Daichi snorts. “How’d you get it in your lower lip anyway?” He grabs a bottle of rubbing alcohol and some cotton balls and crouches back down by the tub.

“Must’ve screwed up when I changed into a human.” The man huffs. “I thought it’d _help._ It’s hard to keep anything steady when I’m a fish.”

Daichi chuckles. “It did. It would’ve been a lot harder to get it out of your lip if you kept moving.” He soaks a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and holds it up.

The man leans forward. “Yeah, and now I have a hole in both lips.” He hisses as Daichi disinfects his wounds. “Anyway, thank you. What’s your name?”

“I’m Daichi,” Daichi says, screwing the cap back onto the rubbing alcohol. “And you are?”

“Suga. You can call me Suga.” Suga settles back in the tub, worrying his lip.

“Do you want me to kiss that better?” Daichi asks. He slaps a hand over his mouth and turns away, his cheeks hot.

Suga shrieks with laughter., clutching his sides. “You’re not subtle at all, are you?” he says. “Anyway, as pleasant as I’m sure that would be—” He gives Daichi a pointed look, then glances at Daichi’s lips and back again. “—it’d be better if you didn’t. My lip is still bleeding.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Daichi asks, still bright red.

“Don’t you know a ningyo when you see one?” Suga shoots back, with a snort. “Dummy. If you drink any of my blood, you’ll have a life just as long as mine. And while I’d be fine with that—you seem nice, and you’re not bad to look at—living forever isn’t usually something humans want.” He sighs, all the mirth draining out of his face.

“Ah,” Daichi says. He kicks himself. “Sorry if I reminded you of something,” he says.

Suga shakes a hand at him. “Don’t worry about it.” He smiles brightly. “I’m fine.”

“If you’re sure.” Daichi pushes himself off the floor. Suga shrugs, and Daichi’s heart drops. “Can I make you dinner?” Daichi asks. Maybe food will cheer him up. “What do you usually eat?”

“Well aren’t you sweet,” Suga giggles, and Daichi feels his heart skip. “I can eat all manner of human food, but I’m particularly fond of spicy things. Whatever you had planned for dinner is fine, though.”

“Well…” Daichi rubs at the back of his neck. “I was planning on having fish for dinner, but I ended up trading my whole catch for a cute ningyo.”

Suga laughs so hard he falls over backwards into the water. “Is this a date? Are you trying to make this a date?”

“If you want it to be,” Daichi says, red all over again.

“Mmmm, I don’t know,” Suga says. “It depends on what you can scare up for dinner.” He puts a finger to his lip and hums, glancing up at the ceiling. “Maybe by dessert, my lip will have scabbed over too.” He gives Daichi a wink.

A shiver rolls up Daichi’s back. “Right!” he says, voice embarrassingly high. “I’ll be back soon!” He trips over the threshold as he darts out the bathroom door. Suga’s laughter lapping at his heels. Hopefully, he has the makings of something impressive in the kitchen.

**Author's Note:**

> We all know Kagehina burned every fish Daichi gave them. As for Daichi and Suga's date? Well, maybe I'll write more later.
> 
> Thank you all for reading! 
> 
> Come say hi to me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/amairylle) or [Tumblr!](https://amairylle.tumblr.com)


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